It's the Sunday Morning After
by Jello Ink
Summary: Quistis went to a party last night and the details are a little hazy. For example, she wakes up in a strange room. With a guy. Oh. My. God. Worse (or better) he isn't going to let her go that easily. Seiftis! *Chp.6-La Grande Finale...or is it? Jk, it is*
1. Sunday...

~Sunday Morning After~

  
Disclaimer: I don't own FF8, nor do I own the song used in this fic. Their owners are Square and Amanda Marshall respectively. Brackets in the song mean it's a voice in the background.  
I encourage everyone to download this song off of KaZaA or Morpheus, whatever you use. It's not the same unless you've heard it. (But I daresay it's pretty good anyway)  
  
Quistis woke to the sound of her cell phone ringing. Groggily, she reached over the side of the bed and fumbled around until her hand closed over its familiar shape. Bringing the blue Nokia up to her ear, she answered in a sleepy voice.  
  
"Unnh...Hello?"  
  
"Where are you?" asked the male voice on the other end. It was Irvine, who had helped Selphie drag her out partying the night before. Good question, she thought.  
  
"What time is it?"  
  
"Umm...it's 1:30...in the afternoon."  
  
"Uh..."  
  
"Are you alright?" Quistis looked around her surroundings hesitantly, and then decided to call Irvine back later.  
  
"Hang on." She pressed the 'end' button, and sat up straight. Wincing at the sudden pain in her skull, she lay back on the bed...and noticed it wasn't her bed. But that was the least of her concerns right now, so she focused her attention on what had happened the night before.   
  
She recalled a party, a nightclub called The Black Sun, and tequila. A lot of tequila. That explained the killer headache, but what had happened? She racked her brain nervously. It made her feel strangely vulnerable not to be able to remember her actions from the night before.  
  
  
  
_I woke up with a killer hangover  
  
Hope it was worth all this pain  
  
(I'd do it all over again)  
  
By the time the party was over  
  
Tequila was my claim to fame  
  
(I couldn't remember my name)_  
  
  
  
She vaguely recalled dancing with a friend of Selphie's that had recently transferred from Trabia. Jake something. What had happened to her keys after that? She remembered seeing them in her purse before taking the dance floor with him but afterward...who'd taken them? Had she lost them? It was so frustrating Quistis wanted to scream. She wished she hadn't had all those tequila shots. Maybe then she'd be able to remember the events of the party. And she probably wouldn't be in a strange place either.  
  
  
  
_I was dancing with Jake  
  
When I last saw my keys   
  
That was my first mistake  
  
'Cause what happened to me?  
  
(Oh...)  
_  
  
  
Quistis looked down and to the side at the shape of her arm covered by the sheer sheet. Squinting her eyes, a difficult feat for someone that hung over, she determined there was something like an inkblot staining her upper arm. _Oh well._ She was unconcerned, until she took a closer look and saw yellow snake eyes peering back at her from the top half of the "inkblot."  
  
  
  
_I looked down at my arm, baby  
  
And something's lookin' back at me  
  
And I cannot believe it  
_  
  
  
Pulling her arm out from under the sheer top sheet, she focused her energy on the blob of color. She realized it wasn't black, it was a mottled green, and done remarkably well in the exact likeness of a...  
  
"OH MY GOD!" She shrieked, staring down at the snake tattoo marring the perfect skin of her upper arm. It was actually very nicely done, a bewitching image of a coiled cobra staring at her with yellow-slitted eyes. But Quistis wasn't exactly in a mood to be admiring her new tattoo. Frantically she licked her thumb with the very tip of her tongue-it felt like sandpaper-and rubbed at the offending reptile. It neither smudged nor faded. "This is insane!" She exclaimed, more quietly this time. Unfortunately speaking wasn't smooth going for Quistis on account of the 'th' sound in her statement. Something hard hit her teeth with a soft click as the sound rolled off her tongue. With new vigor, she let out what would become a common sentiment for her in the next hour or so.   
  
"OH MY GOD!" She stuck her tongue out and felt in the middle of it. Something round and hard met her fingers. She pulled a mirror from the purse that had been discarded to one side of the bed. There it was. A ruby stud. In her *tongue*. She almost fainted, but managed to hang on, dropping the mirror and glancing beside her almost fearfully. It was as she feared. Another figure broke the flat plain of the double bed in half, buried almost completely under the duvet. His back was turned to her. At least, Quistis sincerely hoped it was a he.  
  
  
  
_Oh my god!  
  
I woke up with a snake tattoo  
  
Oh my god!  
  
And I think that my tongue's pierced too  
  
Oh my god! Oh my god!  
  
It's the Sunday morning after, and baby who the hell are you?  
  
(Ahh....woo-hoo-hoo!)_  
  
  
  
Blinking hard, which unsurprisingly failed to make the figure beside her disappear, she lay down again. The pain from her movement was tolerable, and she forced her mind back even farther to her evening.  
  
Shapes drifted in front of her and finally settled on a short memory. She was screaming at the DJ, something about turning up the volume for her favorite song. Oh Hyne, she'd made an ass of herself. Wait...now there was a computer...she was...  
  
"I sold my clothes on Ebay?" Puzzlement filled her voice. What the hell had she been thinking? *Had* she been thinking at all? Speaking of clothes...where were hers anyway?   
  
She glanced again at the guy beside her, still hidden by the covers, and winced. This was not her, not Quistis Trepe, the Ice Queen, the voice of reason in her group of friends. Why had Irvine and Selphie let her go off with some strange guy?  
  
  
_  
I remember yelling, "Hey DJ!"  
  
"Jack the volume, I love this song!"   
  
(And then it all gets hazy)  
  
And my clothes are selling on e-bay  
  
(Click me)  
  
And I don't know what I'm gonna put on  
  
(Where were my friends to save me?)_  
  
  
  
After the Ebay experience, Quistis's brain shut down like a password-coded safe. Nothing else was available to her after that computer's glare. She had passed out, and obviously, given the situation, come to at some point. But what had gone on that evening was a mystery.  
  
She had a vague sense of having had the time of her life, but alcohol would cloud your judgment in that area.  
  
  
  
_I blacked out I came to  
  
And it's all such a blur  
  
Had a blast, I assume  
  
But I'm really not sure_  
  
  
  
Taking a better look at the room, she found in tastefully decorated. It wasn't a SeeD room; at least, not like one she had ever seen. On second thought, it was awfully similar to Squall's SeeD dorm. Not the way it was decorated, but the size and layout of the room suggested a high-ranking SeeD. It had a kitchen; she could see it through the doorway, and a bathroom, its door also open.   
  
She wasn't a high rank SeeD anymore. Not a prestigious Instructor. And certainly not as valued in battle as Squall or Seifer. Well, she'd always thought she could take Squall down, but Instructors didn't exactly get chances to prove themselves as SeeDs. Why would they want to? They had secure jobs. Leave the mercenary work to the mercenaries. But she didn't have that anymore. And as yet the opportunity hadn't presented itself for her to rise in rank. Her thoughts drifted to Seifer, a newer addition to SeeD's forces.  
  
He had shown up on Garden's doorstep three months prior, mumbling something about taking the test one more time. A scan done by Rinoa showed that he had no memory of the sorceress war, or being Edea's knight. They had never enlightened him. Nobody deserved to live that way. So he was back, and he was *higher rank* than her. After three months. It was sickening; he was on Cid's favorite list like Quistis never had been. _He must have a room like this, like Squall's and like whoever this person is._  
  
  
  
_Exactly where I am now, baby  
  
Wake up and tell me your name   
  
(Excuse me)  
  
'Cause this is insane!  
_  
  
  
She groaned softly. Did she really want to know who lay under those covers? She kicked the sheets away from her feet angrily, and the sound sleeper beside her fidgeted a bit. She glared at his back.  
  
"Oh my god...how did I do this to myself?"  
  
  
  
_Oh my god!  
  
I woke up with a snake tattoo  
  
Oh my god!  
  
And I think that my tongue's pierced too  
  
Oh my god! Oh my god!  
  
It's the Sunday morning after, and baby who the hell are you?  
  
(Oh my god! Oh my god!)  
_  
  
  
Suddenly she had a sharp image invade her mind. Breaking glass. Oh great, now she'd destroyed something. She should go to the nightclub and apologize for any damage she might have caused. The whole night was like a horrible amusement park ride that went where it would without asking her opinion.  
  
Struggling until she had unknotted the sheets from around her, she located her clothing and got dressed. She was just preparing to leave when she realized she could not just prance out of this room and expect her dignity to stay intact. She was leaving a high level SeeD's room. In the same clothes she had been wearing the night before. And not particularly modest clothes either. A black halter and leather pants weren't exactly the type of statement she tried to make on a normal day. It was too bad that it wasn't early in the morning. She had no hope of sneaking across Garden to her dorm.  
  
  
  
_My alter ego took over and took me on a fantasy ride  
  
You can take me anywhere twice  
  
But the second time will be to apologize_  
  
  
  
She turned around and stared at the figure cuddled in the covers. He was her only way out. She had to wake him up. Make him help her solve their dilemma.   
  
Tentatively, she reached out and poked him. He didn't stir, and so she started shaking him lightly and talking to him, hoping to bring him out of the depths of sleep.   
  
"Hey..." She shook him a little harder. "Wake up...Oh please wake up!"  
  
  
  
_Oh my god!  
  
I woke up with a snake tattoo  
  
Oh my god!  
  
And I think that my tongue's pierced too  
  
Oh my god! Oh my god!  
  
It's the Sunday morning after, and baby who the hell are you?  
  
Oh my god!  
  
I woke up with a snake tattoo  
  
Oh my god!  
  
And I think that my tongue's pierced too  
  
Oh my god! Oh my god!  
  
It's the Sunday morning after, and baby who the hell are you?_  
  
  
  
Finally the groggy man turned over and sat up, looking straight at her and smiling. Quistis's quick intake of breath was heard by both of them, and caused the man's smile to grow. He flopped onto his back.  
  
"Weren't sure who I was, were you?" Quistis shook her head, tight-lipped. Hyne was a cruel, cruel deity. She collapsed beside the man in his bed, sighing as if her heart would break.  
  
"I am so screwed." The man chuckled, and she hit him on the arm lightly. "Don't laugh, I am. I have a snake on my arm you know."  
  
"I know."  
  
"And a stud in my tongue."  
  
"I know, I thought it was sexy." She smacked him without force again, mumbling to herself.  
  
"You would." She turned to look at him. "How am I supposed to get out of here, dressed like this, without all of Garden knowing what happened within seconds?" He extended his arm and wrapped it around her waist possessively.  
  
"Well...you could stay. It's Sunday. Day off, remember? We could kill some time." He raised an eyebrow and smirked at her.  
  
"Gah..." She got out of the bed for the second time that afternoon and looked around. "I need an excuse in _the_ worst way. C'mon Seifer! Think!"   
  
"You got caught up in the charm of your favorite student and simply couldn't tear yourself away." Quistis laughed in spite of herself.   
  
"Great, that sounds like a plan." Seifer lazily drifted out of bed and into his clothes.  
  
"Hmm, so let's see. You don't want people to see those clothes because they're the same as you were wearing last night, and you don't want them to know what we know."   
  
"Exactly." She glanced around furtively. "Where's my hair clip?" Seifer held four pieces of black plastic under her nose. "Lovely."  
  
"Well, then there's only one thing to do." He sidled up to her and removed his trenchcoat from his shoulders, putting her arms in the sleeves and balancing its weight on her smaller frame. She looked at him questioningly.  
  
"Which is?" Seifer smirked wickedly.  
  
"This." He propelled them both out of the door, snapping it shut behind them, and dragged Quistis by the hand in the direction of her dorm room.  
  
"Seifer!" She urged in a whisper, " What are you doing? Why don't I just wear a giant sign labeled 'Property of Seifer Almasy'? Even Selphie could see through this!"  
  
"Hmm...I like that idea..."  
  
"What idea," she hissed.  
  
"That sign idea. 'Quistis Trepe, Property of Seifer Almasy'...It has a ring to it!" He frowned. "Something's missing...oh yes! 'Touch and answer to Hyperion'." He smiled, pleased with himself. Quistis just rolled her eyes.  
  
"Well if I can just get back to my dorm, we can forget this ever happened." Seifer stopped short, causing Quistis to run into him from behind.   
  
"What if I don't want to forget?" He turned around to face her.   
  
"Seifer what are you stoppi...huh?"  
  
"I said, what if I don't want to forget?"  
  
"Can't we get me in my dorm before discussing this?"  
  
"I want to discuss it now, Quistis." His face darkened ever so slightly. Quistis sighed.  
  
"Seifer, I was drunk and I really don't..."  
  
"Remember? Let me refresh your memory." Seifer's arm snaked out and pulled her to him, closing the small space that had been there before. His mouth descended on hers, hard and demanding, before the kiss softened just a touch as he drew back from her. She stared at him.  
  
"I...I..." For once she was at a loss for words. She refused to speak aloud the one that was bouncing back and forth in her head at the moment. "Wow." _Damn. Way to go, Quistis._ _What wouldn't I give for obedient vocal chords? _She winced at Seifer's satisfied smirk. He continued dragging her down the hallway.  
  
"Thought so." When they arrived at her dorm, miraculously unseen by anyone, she stood in the open doorway regarding him for a moment. He kissed her again suddenly, gentler this time, full of something she couldn't place. "I'll see you tonight at eight, right here. Real date this time." He winked at her and turned to go when she found her voice.  
  
"Seifer, your coat." She started tugging at the arms of the gray trenchcoat. He smiled at her.  
  
"You keep it. I like seeing it on you." And with that he strode down the hallway, whistling a nameless tune.  
  
Quistis closed the door behind her and leaned against it.   
  
"That is the *last* time I drink tequila." But she couldn't help the little part of her that looked forward to the coming night.  
  
  
_  
Where am I?  
  
What am I?  
  
Who am I?  
  
How did I?_  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
More? Delete and give death to it? Please take a couple seconds to tell me if you care for another chapter, and if you liked this one ^_^ Tried my best to un-cliche the Quistis-gets-drunk-wakes-up-with-Seifer plot I've seen a lot of as of late. But this song is killer and I just HAD to use it ^_^.


	2. Monday...

Oh how I love writing this fic! I hope you like it too, it was great when I logged on the comp at London Drugs (ok, I was just a tad bit desperate to see if I had any reviews) and discovered 13! *13*! On one chapter! Of a simple song fic! You guys are great, Ifalna, tifa, Lizziechan, PinkStarz, grrl gamer, Jacks, Alonia, Dalpal, Do I have to sign in (lol, no it's not necessary), Aeris, Brazen Angel, Tiy, and Apple Pie. Thanks a lot for reviewing ^_^ Jacks write more of Majestic! Dalpal write more of One More Day! Aeris!!!!! Write more Moulin Rouge FF8 Style!!!! Gaaaahhh!!! Alonia, write more of Shattered Thoughts and Broken Dreams AND If Love is a Red Dress! Brazen Angel you MUST write more of The Walls Between Us! Tiy, you have to write *something* I'm sure you rock! Apple Pie, I am dying to read another chapter of Timed to Hate, Fated to Love. I loved Tess Almasy so much I need to read any and all versions available. grrl gamer, write something elssseeee! C'mon it's been long enough after Infatuated Souls! PinkStarz, would you plz get going on Resurface and Breathe? Plz? Plz?  
The ppl who reviewed this fic are the ones who most like to TORTURE me! Coincidence, I think not. Get writing!  
P.S. Not to keep you further *looks sheepish* but I just wanted to say that now, I'm lapsing out of songfic form bcuz I am a lazy person, and no song seems to suit this chapter. ^_^ And I'm trying hard not to trivialize Rinoa, in what precious little time she spends in this fic. Really. Really. Hard.  
P.P.S (God, am I annoying or what?) Thx to PinkStarz for helping me with the Quistis/Seifer date scene. You rock hun. ^_^ On with the story (finally, poor you).  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~****~  
  
  
Quistis looked at herself long and hard in the mirror. It was 7 p.m. already, and she was at a loss. She needed a ticket out of this arrangement, but she didn't want to hurt Seifer.   
  
"I need help." She picked up the phone on her desk and dialed a number she couldn't say she called often. Rinoa's dorm. She sincerely hoped that she wasn't visiting Squall right this moment. Quistis sighed her relief when Rinoa's ever chipper voice answered.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Rinoa? It's Quistis. Umm...I need...help with something. Could you come to my dorm for a minute?" Rinoa was a little confused, but happy that the second iciest person in all of Garden was going to open up to her. The girl had the golden touch.  
  
"No problem, Quisty! I'll be right over!" Quistis sat on her bed and mused for about half a second before her door flew open and an out of breath Rinoa greeted her sheepishly. "Hiya! So you said you needed help?"   
  
Quistis chuckled. "I think you might want to sit down." When Rinoa had perched on Quistis's computer chair, she unleashed her story on the girl. Rinoa's eyes got wide in amazement as she took in everything that had happened to Quistis in the space of one night. "So how can I get out of it without hurting his feelings?" Rinoa squinted at her, then took her by the shoulders and looked her in the eye.  
  
"You sure you want out?" Quistis nodded. "Quistis, I don't think I have to tell you this but...Hyne have you *looked* at Seifer? He's hot, Quisty. Really. Really. Hot. Comprende? I mean, I love Squall, but you have to appreciate that caliber of handsome." She sighed. "Can't you just date him this one time? How bad could it be? Oh my God! You'd make *the* cutest couple! C'mon Quisty!" Before she could respond Rinoa spoke again. "What will you wear?" She started rooting through the closet.  
  
"But Rino..."  
  
"No buts, you're going. I mean, it could be true love right?" Quistis rolled her eyes.  
  
"Sure Rinoa, whatever you say, Rinoa."   
  
"Don't mock me! Oh! This is perfect!" She held up the outfit in her hands. It was an older ensemble, but one Quistis had worn only once. Her foster parents had given it to her, but of course her battle gear had taken the place of any real casual clothing for quite some time. The halter and pants she'd worn to the club had been new, courtesy of Selphie. She looked at the clothing skeptically. It was basic, a denim miniskirt with a few pleats in one side and a white tank top with the words 'When did I realize I was God? Well one night I was praying and I discovered I was talking to myself' on it in small, blue block letters.  
  
"Well..."   
  
"Oh c'mon, it's boring enough to stay with your stern holier-than-thou impression, but fun enough to be, well, fun." The dark haired girl winked at her, mischief in her eyes.  
  
"I should have realized this would happen."  
  
"Oh well, hindsight is twenty-twenty blah blah blah, go change!" She thrust the outfit into Quistis's hands and pushed her into the tiny bathroom her dorm boasted. In a minute's time, Quistis emerged, self-consciously tugging at the hem of her skirt. Rinoa smacked her fingers with a lipstick she had procured from somewhere. "Leave it. Sit, the wonder is only beginning!" Quistis sat on her bed in confusion while Rinoa whipped a makeup case out from behind her back. "Never leave home without it."  
  
Expertly, Rinoa kept makeup to a minimum. A light, colorless lip-gloss and a baby blue eyeliner, finishing with a bit of eye shadow of the same shade.   
  
"See? That's not so bad is it?" Quistis looked at herself in a small mirror Rinoa was holding up. She had to admit, the shadow brought out her eyes. Her mouth looked fuller, and she wondered if she was going to have problems on this date...why did she never resist what people threw at her?   
  
"No...not so bad. Are you done?" Rinoa got out a brush and a curling iron, smiling sweetly all the while.  
  
"No." Her voice lilted like a songbird that had learned to speak, giving it a childish edge. She brushed Quistis's hair stick straight, then proceeded to give it a bit of body and curl the ends loosely with the curling iron. Quistis counted floating gunblades in her head. Finally Rinoa's triumphant voice rang out. "There! Finished! Good call on wearing your hair down!"   
  
"My hair clip broke..." she mumbled, but Rinoa continued on.   
  
"Well off I go, it's practically 8 o'clock! Have fun!" She collected her various belongings and fled the room. "Call me again if you need me!" Quistis rushed to the door and looked around for the smaller girl, but she was nowhere in sight.  
  
"Thanks..." she said to the air around her. A man's voice came from behind her.  
  
"You're welcome, but what for?" She turned around abruptly to meet Seifer's green-eyed gaze, his eyes sparkling in amusement. Smiling nervously she fiddled with a strand of her hair.  
  
"Oh...Seifer...uhm, nothing I was just...Rinoa was just here. She's disappeared somewhere." He didn't seem to have heard a word of what she said, he was too busy looking her up and down. When Seifer finally met her eyes again, he was frowning lightly.   
  
"It might be a little cool outside you know." Quistis nodded.  
  
"I have my coat inside, but I didn't put it on because it's so warm this side of the dorms." Seifer walked right past her into her dorm and got his coat off the chair Quistis had hung it over. For the second time in a day, Quistis found herself wearing the Fire Cross emblazoned coat. He carefully lifted her hair out of the collar and let it settle around her shoulders again. "Heh...thanks..."  
  
Seifer took her hand and led her out to a car he had 'borrowed' for the night, making sure she was comfortable in her seat before he climbed in the driver's side. Quistis had only a few seconds to contemplate his satisfied smirk before the car took off at the speed of sound.   
  
"Where are we going, Seifer?" Seifer smiled, and looked over at her. The car weaved ever so slightly. "Eyes on the road!"  
  
"It's a surprise. And I can drive!" But he turned his attention back to the route anyway. Quistis sat in silence until the car came to a halt. She was unsure what to say to him, his very presence was unnerving her. She let herself out of the car, and found Seifer standing beside her in seconds.   
  
"The Black Sun?!" Quistis said, blushing slightly when she remembered what had happened the last time she went there. Seifer smirked, pleased with himself (but when isn't he?).  
  
"Yup. The first place we met." He nodded sagely.   
  
"Seifer I've known you since I was four years old." Seifer looked around, unconcerned.  
  
"...Whatever."  
  
"Don't go all Squall on me." Making a face, he dragged her past the bouncer and into the dark gloom of the vibrating club. The music was typically loud, and Quistis was bombarded with flashing lights that could have given someone a seizure. Yellow, purple and blue strobe lights illuminated everyone and everything in the club. Her own hair shone blue, Seifer's, even more golden.  
  
They strode up to the bar, taking a seat on two available stools. The bartender glanced at them once before giving them each a Jell-o shot.  
  
"Free shot for the couples." The thirty-ish woman smiled and went back to cleaning glasses.   
  
Quistis looked at her shot skeptically. She eyed the Jell-o and inwardly wondered just how much vodka was in it...  
  
"Maybe you should have them both, Seifer." Seifer picked up one shot a shoved it in her hands.  
  
"Don't be chicken, Instructor." Quistis glared at him, wondering why-oh-why she had to choose this man's bed to wake up in.  
  
"Can I ask you to stop calling me that?"  
  
"You can ask, but I won't oblige." He favored her with a wicked grin and she ate the Jell-o shot. It was going to be a long night. _Wait...why am I staying here with him when I could be on the dance floor with someone who doesn't aggravate me to the point of suicide?_  
  
_Good question._ Quistis's mouth turned upward into a little smile of her own. She took off Seifer's coat and handed it back to him. Grinning she took a seat on a barstool a few feet from him and called into a crowd of admirers from afar.  
  
"Who wants to buy me a drink?" In seconds, half the male population of the nightclub was gathered around her. She specifically requested vodka, *not* tequila, of her followers. _Damn, this is fun!   
_  
She didn't see Seifer again in the space of time she was at the club.  
  
  
~****~  
  
Late the next afternoon, somewhere around 3pm, Garden's members heard Quistis Trepe's voice pierce the silence that had so far been maintained in Seifer Almasy's dorm.  
  
"GOD DAMMIT!"   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
I'd keep writing but this chapter was giving me trouble so...meh. See you next chapter! Also, plz R&R. ^_^


	3. Triple Triad, Anyone?

I love these morning-in-bed scenes! (This time I won't bore you with an author's note, so thankies to those who reviewed, and plz enjoy!)  
  
This chapter features a slightly hentai Cid, and I'm sorry to subject you to that. Plz let me know if the chars are OOC, I think I successfully saved Seifer from becoming a mushball, but you never know. I've never played Triple Triad, so forgive me the rules, I only know the set I've pilfered from someone else's fic.  
  
  
  
Very, very carefully, Quistis peeled her hand off of its place over her mouth. She had clamped it there after she had screamed, but it had done little good in wake of the noise she had made. Mentally she cursed herself for making her presence known to Garden and possibly to Seifer.  
  
She glanced over at the figure beside her in the double bed. Miraculously, he was undisturbed by her screech moments ago. She could hear a couple moving around in the next room which had bolted upright from their make out session at her voice, yet here was Seifer, sleeping like a baby. _And hogging the blankets too_.   
  
Literally jumping out of bed, she found her clothes folded thoughtfully on the dresser. It was odd, but Quistis pushed that to the back of her mind, and put them on hurriedly. With them was Seifer's trenchcoat. She almost felt guilty at leaving without telling him, but the feeling was quickly squashed when she remembered whom she was dealing with. It's not like he would do anything but sit there and smirk, arrogant to the extreme while she died of embarrassment at being here yet again.   
  
Tiptoeing as carefully as possible, she pulled her purse out from under the bed by its silver strap, and made her way cautiously to the door. She stepped over Seifer's shoes, an old car magazine, and a set of keys. Painstakingly slowly she eased the doorknob to the left and inched the door open.  
  
A hand appeared on her right and roughly slammed the door shut again. Sighing, Quistis turned around to face a glowering Seifer. A smirk had been expected, but a scowl?  
  
"Going somewhere, Quistis dear?" Sarcasm laced his words, but deep underneath Quistis was sure she could hear the faint growl of anger twisting his voice. Her eyes got a bit wider, a reaction Seifer didn't miss, and she leaned against the door.   
  
"I was *going* to go to my dorm now. You can stop blockading the door, Big Brother." He frowned and brought himself nose to nose with her before he next spoke.  
  
"Why?" Quistis's features knitted in confusion.   
  
"Because its where I live..." A grin split Seifer's countenance.   
  
"Not anymore."   
  
"I...what? Seifer?" He held up a crumpled document in front of her. Quistis snatched it from him and started to read the italic words printed on it.  
  
"'This document stands as proof that one Quistis Trepe has permission to vacate her current dormitory room in favor of room 148, occupied by one Seifer Almasy. Ms. Trepe's dormitory must be cleared of all her possessions by Tuesday, June 18th. Signed: Cid Kramer' What? They don't just give out papers like these. I mean, Squall and Rinoa are the only ones who get to share a room but they're a..."  
  
"Couple?"  
  
"You didn't."   
  
"I'm a valuable SeeD now."  
  
"Seifer..."  
  
"As valuable as Squall, if not better."  
  
"Seifer, please..."  
  
"And as such, you know, I get certain perks in return for my continued residency in this place."   
  
Quistis grabbed him by the collar and damn near choked him, hauling him up on his tiptoes. When she next spoke, it could more fully be described as a growl. "ALMASY!"   
  
Seifer held his hands up in defeat after prying her hands from around his throat. He tried to hide his smirk and failed.  
  
"Nobody jilts me on a date." _Oh God, my life is finished._  
  
"This is a very twisted revenge, Seifer."   
  
He firmly caught her by the shoulders and drew her to him in a fierce embrace. Quistis turned her head so she wouldn't be smothered, and noticed the gray trenchcoat lying on the floor. She heard Seifer sigh, and he whispered something in her ear.  
  
"Ah, I can get revenge any old way, this is just fun." Clenching her fists, Quistis tried hard not to raise them and punch him in the face. She really, really tried.  
  
Pow!  
  
Sometimes the best of efforts end in failure.   
  
"Ow, Quistis! What was that for?!"   
  
"I'm going to Cid's office to straighten this out!" Before Seifer could stop her, she had pushed him away and run down the hall until she arrived breathless in front of Headmaster Cid. "Sir..." Taking a breath, she managed to collect herself. She held the paper up for Cid's inspection. "I really don't need this Sir, I'm very happy with my dorm as it is." Cid pushed his hair back from his forehead and looked at her sympathetically.  
  
"I'm sorry, Quistis, we've already assigned your dorm to another person. You'll have to remove your things by tomorrow." Her jaw dropped.  
  
"Headmaster! How could this paper even be drawn up without my consent?" Cid had the decency to look ashamed.   
  
"Quistis try to understand. Garden is spacious but not *that* spacious. We needed the extra dorm for an instructor. Besides, there's an important mission coming up, and we need Seifer to participate. We can't have him leaving SeeD!"   
  
"Seifer wouldn't leave SeeD!"   
  
"But Seifer also doesn't make idle threats, my dear. And if I hadn't have given him that paper, he *would* have left SeeD. I would bet my life on it. And we just can't have that, Quistis. We're dependent on our top SeeDs!" Quistis sighed and sank into a chair. _Oh Cid, you spineless twit._  
  
"So basically, you're selling out to keep the likes of Seifer Almasy as a part of the SeeD forces." Cid cleared his throat.  
  
"Er...I have some work to do. Good luck with your new dorm!" Quickly, he shooed her out the door and shut it behind him. Swearing most unbecomingly, Quistis kicked the door with her foot, when suddenly it opened again. "Oh by the way, I like your new look, very tasty...er...ful." The door slammed again.  
  
Quistis made her way to her dorm and opened the door, sighing in frustration. She pulled out a big cardboard box from her closet and started to fling all her stuff into it with dramatic flare.   
  
"I." A purse landed with a thud in the box. "Am." Picture frame with the gang's photo in it. "So." Lip gloss, seldom used. "Pissed." The clothes she had rescued from Ebay. "Off." She swept the items on her dresser into the box. "There, done." She carted the box to Seifer's room and dropped it unceremoniously inside the doorway. Seifer looked up from a book he was reading and smiled at her winningly.   
  
"Seifer, I have to change, go in the other room." He was smart enough not to argue and slipped into the bathroom, leaving the door open a fraction of a crack. She kicked the door all the way shut and smiled when she heard a muffled 'Ow!' Quickly she changed into the last casual outfit she owned. A long cargo skirt and white blouse, tied in a knot at the bottom. She left the first two buttons undone, having no wish to be particularly stern today. Besides, maybe if she flashed a little skin, she could get Seifer to sign a paper retracting his wish to have them share a dorm.  
  
"Ok, you can come out now." Seifer opened the door quickly, but paused when he saw her. Walking over to her, seemingly innocently, his hands darted around her waist and drew her in for a kiss. Although short, Quistis's knees were just a tad shaky when he pulled back to regard her. He smirked.  
  
"I know, I'm a stud." He struck a pose and Quistis couldn't help but laugh. She may have laughed a little too long to maintain Seifer's pride, but some things can't be helped.  
  
"Well, Studboy, let's go to the cafeteria." He followed her impishly out of the dorm, pausing to scribble 'and Quistis Trepe' in small letters under the sign reading 'Seifer Almasy' on his dorm.   
  
  
*In the Cafeteria...*  
  
"Hi Quisty! Hi Seify!" Selphie ran up to them and chirped excitedly.   
  
"Hello Selphie, if you ever call me that again I'll break your arm!" Seifer chirped back, mimicking the younger brunette, bouncing on the balls of his feet for effect. Selphie stuck her tongue out at him, and then broke into a grin.   
  
"Come sit at our table you guys! We're having a Triple Triad tournament, it's just starting!" Practically leaving bubbles in her wake, she skipped along in front of them to a table near the back. Squall frowned slightly when Seifer sat down beside Quistis, but quickly his expression cleared and he dealt silently.  
  
The group chatted for nearly an hour while the first set of games was played. Right off, Zell, Rinoa and Selphie were eliminated. It was down to Quistis, Squall and Seifer. Unfortunately, no one had thought of having six people, then three, since Irvine had opted out, and weren't quite sure how to go about the determining games. But Selphie was alright at planning, so she came up with a cockneyed solution to their dilemma. Since Quistis was the best player in Garden, Squall and Seifer would play each other, winner plays her.   
  
It was a relatively short game, Seifer's skills with strategy were a little more spontaneous than Squall's, and in Triple Triad that was fatal. Squall won easily. Seifer grumbled a bit at being beaten by his old rival, while Rinoa stood up and applauded. Squall just narrowed his eyes at her, then sat across from Quistis for the final game.  
  
_That's odd._ She squinted over the table past Squall's shoulder. Rinoa looked hurt, and made some excuse about going to Balamb to shop. Selphie and Zell exited the room with her, glaring at Squall. The action was lost on him.  
  
"Good game, Squall." Quistis said tentatively, shifting her gaze to Seifer. "Good game..." As the cards were dealt, Seifer made himself comfortable in a chair beside Quistis, wrapping his arm around her waist not-so-subtly. Quistis removed it and shook her finger at him comically. He bit it. "Owww! Can't I trust you at all?" Seifer smirked in response and she turned back to Squall to make her opening move. Immediately she noticed the anger written plainly across his face, before he concealed it behind his stony wall again. Dismissing all but the game ahead of her, she turned over a card.  
  
The game wore on and on, and hours later they were still hunched over the cards. Seifer had left a while back, with a cramp in his leg for having them propped up on a nearby chair. Squall finally ended it with a brilliant move that ripped the foundations of Quistis's game apart. She smiled good-naturedly.  
  
"Oh well, always next time. I proclaim thee, Triple Triad champion, Sir Squall. Take your pick of mine cards." Squall's face darkened ever so slightly before a small half-smile appeared on his face, startlingly similar to Seifer's smirk in nature.  
  
"I want the Quistis card." Quistis frowned in confusion.  
  
"But I don't have a Qui...mmph!" Squall's mouth pressed crushingly over hers, and inwardly she yelped in shock. Pulling back, she stared at him with wide eyes for a few moments before a rough voice interrupted her whirling mind.  
  
"LEONHART!" They turned to watch a red faced and thoroughly enraged Seifer striding towards them, gunblade drawn.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Review if you plz! Comments are adored, reread, and crowed over!


	4. Tuesday...

Thanks sooooo much for the reviews, all! For your convenience, here's a synopsis of what happened last time, in case like me you are reading too many stories to keep up with them all. I'll save you the trouble of jumping back a chapter :) OOC Squall, but I wanted to have fun!  
Yes, Squall does have a plan, scary ne? And yes, he is a bastard for doing that to Rinoa, don't worry, she'll be fine. For once I empathize with the poor girl. I mean sure she's a ditz, but she was just trying to be nice. It's like kicking a puppy. Okay, shutting up now :) Enjoy.  
  
  
  
*Last time, on It's the Sunday Morning After...*  
  
_Squall's mouth pressed crushingly over hers, and inwardly she yelped in shock. Pulling back, she stared at him with wide eyes for a few moments before a rough voice interrupted her whirling mind.  
  
"LEONHART!" They turned to watch a red faced and thoroughly enraged Seifer striding towards them, gunblade drawn._  
  
*Chapter 4...*  
  
  
Squall leaped from his seat, his smile returning as he sized up the intruder on his plan. Looking at him Quistis was again reminded of Seifer. There was the same arrogance, and a sense of detached amusement behind that half smile Squall wore. Seifer returned the expression with his trademark smirk, and they stood there for a moment, staring each other down.  
  
It was eerie. In that moment Quistis could have sworn they were brothers, they mirrored each other so distinctly. She shook her head, and cleared her throat, watching as both their heads snapped up. She looked at them expectantly.  
  
"I swear to Hyne, if either of you lays a hand on the other, you'll rue the day." She tapped her fingernails against Save The Queen. Squall and Seifer exchanged a look, and Squall drew his gunblade. He tapped the tip against the floor gently, but left the speaking to Seifer.  
  
"Did we say anything about hands?" Seifer asked, his smirk the ultimate arrogant reply.  
  
"Your ass is grass!" Screamed Squall, jumping at Seifer and slashing at him with his gunblade.  
  
"What the hell was *that*?" Seifer kept up with Squall's strikes one for one, defending himself accurately.  
  
"I always wanted to say that."   
  
"You would, Commander." Taking the offensive, Seifer narrowly missed Squall's jaw line. In turn, Squall put a rip in the knee of his pants. "Stop trying to hit me and hit me!" The gunblades met each other many times, sparking and clanging. Closest to Seifer, closest to Squall, always in each other's personal space.  
  
  
Quistis rolled her eyes. Unfurling Save The Queen, she watched the boys fight until the perfect moment. Their gunblades were coming together to meet in the middle. Closer. Closer. Snap! Her whip wrapped around both gunblades at the point they met in the air. Hyperion and Lionheart rendered useless, she flicked them at her feet with barely a turning of her wrist. Raising an eyebrow, she turned her gaze to the startled men in front of her, both staring at their hands in awe.  
  
"Now that that's over with..." She looked at Seifer first and brought her whip cracking at his feet. He jumped a bit. Throwing Hyperion into his waiting hands, she dismissed him. "Go, Seifer, I'll see you in a minute." She caught his concerned glance and smiled. "Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself." He nodded and strode out of the cafeteria, barely catching her last words as she turned to Squall. She threw Lionheart at him, hitting him square in the chest. "And you. Just go." Turning on her heel, she followed the path Seifer had taken to his dorm.  
  
The second she walked in the door Seifer pulled her into a hug that threatened to cut off her air. From his mumbling low in his throat she made out something like 'You came back. Not with him. Me.' infused with joy.  
  
  
~****~  
  
Squall had a plan alright. He just hadn't thought of what it was yet. But so far it went something like this:  
  
Kiss Quistis. Kill Seifer. To Be Announced.   
  
Not the best plan in the world, granted, but Squall was sure he would come up with something. He fell back on his bed and sighed. His mind raced over Quistis's last words to him. So cold. "Just go." He had gone. What else could he do? He faintly recalled throwing Rinoa's things out of the room into a pile on the floor. Jealous rage flew through him.   
  
Quistis was his. Always had been, always would be. She was not Seifer's to handle, to touch. She had been his first, when he was still younger than this and stupid, oh so stupid. Could it really have taken three years to realize the worth of the blonde girl who hero-worshipped him? He berated himself for not taking the chance when it presented itself, the SeeD graduation ball. She had tried to open up to him and for the sake of his stoic image he had turned her away. For the image of SeeD he had danced with an annoying girl at a ball. For the sake of the 'Perfect Couple' image he had stayed with that girl for three long years, even shared a dorm with her. And now...now...  
  
He was finished with images.  
  
  
~****~  
  
Rinoa was the perfect little princess. When she ordered a man to jump, he asked her how high. When she sat, the world bowed. When she smiled, the world smiled back at her. Always in the spotlight, a private life was something not afforded to a princess. But she had her ways, and most of what went on behind closed doors stayed behind closed doors.   
  
Oh how she wished she had something to hide. Giggling in Squall's dorm at midnight. Kissing in the hallway. Possessive hands on her when those who dared to touch her got too close. But no, even were she not so talented at keeping secrets, she had nothing of the sort to hide, to keep private to herself. All she had was the Perfect Couple, and the Perfect Couple did not exist.  
  
They were experiencing...technical difficulties. Isn't that what they called it now when a bad decision blew up in your face? Yes, technical difficulties. Perfect Squall had malfunctioned. He didn't love Perfect Rinoa. It was all a scam, a mix-up in the wiring. Project aborted, Perfect Couple terminated until further notice.   
  
But Rinoa would bring feelings into it. Hers and Squall's. She didn't care about the looks Squall was giving Quistis the day before, and she didn't care that there was no Perfect Couple. Perfection was their downfall; mistakes could be their salvation. Mistakes could be forgiven when perfection could only be ended. She knew she loved Squall, and she knew that was her only card. She had but one hand to play. Whether or not Squall loved her was irrelevant, his return was all that mattered.  
  
It was selfish, she knew. But unrequited love isn't selfless, like its partner of the two way street. She could only promise herself to make him happy this time, to dive into the abyss of their relationship with no buoy to keep her afloat. He was her everything, and she had to try harder to understand him. Be his friend first and his lover second.  
  
While Rinoa thought this, she arrived in front of her dorm and found a pile of clothing outside the door. Shaking, she picked up one of the pieces and looked at it, stricken. It was a light blue duster. He had thrown her out. It was wrong, wrong, wrong, this wasn't supposed to happen to the little princess.   
  
Her fairy tale to be was shattered, and Rinoa sank to the floor and gave herself up to her one prevailing emotion. She cried.  
  
  
~****~  
  
If Seifer's mind were a mood ring, it would have been the clearest, purest, deepest blue there is on the planet the moment Quistis came through that door. His heart had clenched for a long minute after he shut the door and he wondered if she wouldn't just go running straight into Squall's arms. He'd been wrong to assume she was that empty-headed. That was a Rinoa stunt, far from normal behavior for a girl like Quistis.   
  
He wondered if she knew he had a method to his madness. Seifer didn't think she was so naive to consider his actions a sort of revenge, but was she? After all, before coming back to Garden he had never made an attempt to show emotion, unless it was contempt. Maybe she simply found it impossible to believe Seifer Almasy had feelings. This of course was a crock of crap; Seifer had feelings in abundance, often more than he knew what to do with. Like Squall, he hid them. The only difference was that Squall hid behind a wall of ice, and Seifer a wall of fire.   
  
Looking down at her serene form wrapped in his arms, he wondered how she could manage to look sexy in a prudish blouse thats only attribute was the first two buttons, left open. Then, inevitably, his mind wandered to what she would do if he took it off her. A sober Quistis was one to be reckoned with when angry, but damn, he was really in the mood to tempt fate...  
  
  
~****~  
  
Quistis briefly considered breaking out of Seifer's embrace, but the man seemed so *happy* she hated to ruin it for him. Besides, it was kind of nice to be held like that, looked at with those worshipful eyes.  
  
Wait a second...worshipful? She looked up self consciously to find that his expression was...loving. As Quistis's brain slipped into panic mode, she quickly turned her head away and gave in to her thoughts for some time.  
  
She was still really confused about what had happened with Squall in the cafeteria. She had pushed him away, Quistis was sure that had been the right thing to do. She was not without morals, and Squall was Rinoa's boyfriend, no matter how attractive she might find him.  
  
Did she find him attractive still? Yes, that Quistis could not deny. Did she love him? Yes. Shamefully, Quistis Trepe still loved the man who'd broken her heart all those years ago. She let out a despondent sigh.   
  
If Squall had kissed her, maybe it meant he was over Rinoa. Maybe he finally realized that Quistis was the one for him. Maybe they'd get married and have 2 kids and live in a cottage by the sea. Or maybe...she looked up at the green eyed man holding her. Maybe she'd do all those things with Seifer. Quistis stared into his eyes for what seemed like an eternity, the yellow highlights just behind the green entrancing her. It was no use; she was just so confused...  
  
_Hyne send me a sign._   
  
"Seifer...I have to go for a walk and think. I'll see you later?" He smiled and nodded.   
  
"Sure, lo...Quisty."   
  
As Quistis made her way to the Quad, her thoughts swirled in confusion. Seifer, Squall, Seifer, Squall...the two names ricocheted off the corners of her mind and collided with each other, resonating inside her head. The problem with her decision-making was that there was no rational choice. _The sorceress's knight or the angel's boyfriend?_ There was no clear answer, and for once, Quistis was going to have to think with her heart and not her head.  
  
It irked her.  
  
Quistis was never one to forsake logic or straight thinking, her heart and instincts came next to the common good. Whatever was the right choice was Quisty's choice. It was a system that had never failed her until black and white had faded into shades of gray. She shook her head.   
  
A loud noise caused her to turn sharply on her heel. She turned to see Squall sprawled on the ground, scowling at the imaginary dip in the floor he had tripped over. Suppressing a snicker of amusement, she offered him a hand. When he took it he was still scowling at the ground, trying to find something to blame for his ungraceful debut in the room. When he thought he had put on a good enough show, he addressed Quistis.  
  
"Quistis, I'm sorry about that thing in the cafeteria."   
  
"Don't worry about it Squall. It's not like I've never made a mistake. Life's full of them." She shrugged her shoulders noncommittally and waited for him to confess he was still in love with Rinoa, or something of the like.  
  
"But it wasn't! A mistake, I mean. I don't regret it! I mean, I regret it because it made you mad, but I don't really and..." He stopped for a second and recounted his thoughts. Quistis was so amused she didn't notice how much closer he was coming to her as he spoke. "Alright, what I really meant to say was..." And he kissed her. The feeling he conveyed was not of one unsure, or afraid to hurt his 'angel'. The kiss was determined, a do-or-die testament to what he really meant. When he finally let her go, she was dizzy and more confused than she had been before.  
  
"Squall, I don't think..." He put his finger to his lips and smiled down at her, that Seifer-like half smile again.  
  
"Then don't think." His arms wrapped themselves around her waist and closed what little space there was between them. She wanted to push him away, but he smelled so good, and his arms around her were so reassuring. It was as if nothing besides them existed. She kissed him first this time, and before long they were stumbling down the hallway, kissing as they went.   
  
In front of Squall's dorm, Rinoa's things were long gone. She had run back to Timber in tears earlier when she had found them outside his door. Squall didn't do things in anger without thinking, and Rinoa knew that it was over. Her cards were cold and it was time to leave the table with what she could salvage, her pride. She would not grovel. And so the kissing pair found the dorm empty.   
  
In their heated embraces, Quistis did not think to ask where Rinoa was, in fact it was unlikely she could remember Rinoa's name. Squall's jacket hit the floor, then Quistis's blouse, and in succession every piece of clothing covering the two. Quistis's spinning mind disregarded Seifer, and for once, she was living in the moment.   
  
Whether or not it was the wrong moment to live in never crossed her mind.  
  
  
  
~****~  
  
The next morning, she woke up next to Squall. She didn't scream, she didn't carry on. Passively, she stared at him, asleep beside her. Her finger traced the downward motion of his scar, and she smiled. Something, however, was nagging at the back of her mind.  
  
Seifer. And then she was confused again. For those precious three seconds in her hazy brain, all had been clear. But she couldn't deny how her heart raced when she saw the man with a scar matching that of the one beside her. She'd pushed him away, but she enjoyed flirting with him. His arms were heaven itself, but were Squall's better? She didn't know, she couldn't tell and she was scared by her lack of positive confirmation. Quistis had always felt that women who claimed to love two men equally loved neither. Her heart must know whom she truly loved, but it was keeping its secret to itself until she was ready to know.  
  
Quistis, wanting a little clarification, gathered her clothes and stared down at the man on the bed. Her heart leaped but...was it in sisterly adoration or anticipation of his next kiss? It wasn't fair to stay with one or the other until she had this sorted out, so she dressed quickly and slipped out.   
  
Squall did not stir.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Oh yes, more chappies to come, I'm on a roll, but this was getting a little long. ^_^ If you would please review, you'd make me a very happy author!  
  
@ is the new ! :)


	5. Wednesday...

*Looks at review number* Oh my God! Thanks soooo much! *big grin*

Wow, a few of you are ecstatic that she slept with Squall, but more of you are downright frightened/mad/throwing rocks at me. LOL! 

**Squinoas Rule**: Well, yes, admittedly I rushed it a bit. I think at this point we've conceived every possible reason for Squall to leave Rinoa, and there's not really a need to reiterate them over and over. However, were you to stick with the story, Squall's behavior would be explained further. He is however a bit OOC. This is because I personally find Squall's personality to be a lack thereof, so I gave him one.  If you don't like the way I've portrayed him, I really don't care. I'm glad you like Squinoas. Kudos to you for accepting the stereotypical pairing. I don't do them well because I hate them with a passion usually reserved for serial killers and matadors. And for future reference, I'm not your sister. 

*Last time, on It's the Sunday Morning After...*

Quistis, wanting a little clarification, gathered her clothes and stared down at the man on the bed. Her heart leaped but...was it in sisterly adoration or anticipation of his next kiss? It wasn't fair to stay with one or the other until she had this sorted out, so she dressed quickly and slipped out. 

Squall did not stir.

*Chapter 5*

She wandered the hallways aimlessly, not even bothering to give the situation any thought. Maybe if she just relaxed, she'd get an inkling of what the answer to her problems was. Quietly, she sat down near the edge of one of Garden's balconies. Looking out over the landscape had often helped her sort out her feelings when she was even more confused than this.

She reflected on the night before. Spur of the moment, yes, stupid, that remained to be seen. Squall was an old friend and an old love, and she wasn't sure she felt anything besides the beginnings of a crush for Seifer. How could she possibly tell? In three days of being around Seifer, he'd somehow managed to endear himself to her. In a lifetime of being around Squall, he never had. Oh she'd adored him, certainly, but she'd never found him charming or loving or fun. Those qualities radiated from Seifer. 

That was one of the major differences between Seifer and Squall. Seifer was a hell of a lot of fun. And Squall was...she didn't want to say boring, but he wasn't exactly the mile-a-minute bundle of flirty energy that seemed to reside in Seifer.

Sighing loftily, she leaned over the balcony and frowned. She shouldn't have slept with Squall, not until she'd sorted out her feelings. On a pro and con list Seifer was coming out on top, and that wasn't fair. She shouldn't have lead him on when she didn't know if it was a cliff or a valley she was leading him to.

Soft footsteps became louder, intruding on her peace from two different directions. They were slightly out of sync, four fast beats in a row, making it easy to tell there were two people and not one. As they became even louder, she turned to greet their owners.

The rivals eyed each other uneasily before looking at her.

"Quistis." They said in unison. Slightly embarrassed to have shared a common thought, they glanced at each other again. Squall cleared his throat.

"Can we talk?" He glared at Seifer. "Alone?" Seifer scowled back at him.

"You're not going anywhere alone with her." 

"Too bad you weren't around to say that yesterday." Seifer's eyes darted to Quistis, who looked pained. Fixing his vision on Squall for the time being, he managed to project his voice.

"What are you talking about, Leonhart?" A half smile appeared on Squall's face. 

"That question is redundant, Almasy. You know damn well what I'm talking about." Seifer's gaze took on a razor edge as he stared his opponent down.

"Right. Well. I'm going to go now, you let me know how this works out," Quistis practically squeaked. Slipping to the side, she ducked under the arm Seifer meant to catch her with and ran across the Quad and down a hallway. 

She immediately heard two sets of footsteps behind her, and a glance thrown over her shoulder saw Seifer gaining a lot of ground. Squall was right behind him.

Unfortunately for Quistis, although her new dorm was down this hallway, Seifer had a passkey for it too. She swung her gaze from one wall to the other, searching for a mode of escape. She could not deal with this right now. And then she saw her saving grace, a boring brown door marked with the words 'Janitor's Closet'.

Yanking the door open, she hauled herself inside and slammed it behind her. There was a small deadbolt on the door, which she threw shut with a soft clack. Quistis pulled on an overhead light cord, only to find it didn't work. She sat in the darkness and listened to the pounding footsteps finally cease just outside her hiding place. Two muffled voices came through the crack between the door and the floorboards. 

"...did, Leonhart!"

"Not...fault!" Pressing her ear against the crack, she got a better audio on the two.

"So what were you saying about Quistis, Leonhart? Yesterday what?" 

"C'mon, Seifer, even you aren't that stupid." A loud thud shook the door and Quistis shuddered. Squall's voice sounded choked when he next spoke. "Look, we had sex. Did it, you follow? You must know what that is, Almasy." A second thud shook it even harder. 

"If you ever touch her again I'll..." But Squall cut him off in a harsh whisper, almost as if his air had been cut off.

"Not yours to decide," he croaked. The bottom of the door slammed inward as Seifer's foot rocketed past Squall's shin, just missing him. The edge of the hard wood caught Quistis in the nose, and tears of pain came to her eyes.

"Ow!" Quickly she clapped a hand over her mouth and peeked under the doorframe with one blue eye. She could only see Seifer's boots and the very tips of Squall's shoes dangling from above. Suddenly Squall's weight came crashing down full in front of her, but Seifer shoved him to the side. She could see his knees now, then his hands spread on the floor and now… Oops. An emerald eye gazed serenely into her azure one. 

"Quistis, for Hyne's sake get out of that closet." 

"…No." Brilliant answer, that'll sure put him in his place. Rolling her eyes at herself, she clarified. "I need some time to myself. I can't go to my dorm, because it isn't. Mine, that is. And anywhere else I go I can bet one or both of you will follow. So I'm here to stay for a while." Stretching and straightening her spine, she sat up and leaned against the door. Squall's voice intruded next, cutting off whatever Seifer was going to say.

"Um…as commander of Garden I sort of…have a master key that'll open any room in this building." He coughed uncomfortably, and she could practically feel Seifer glaring at him.

"Well then what are you waiting for, Puberty Boy? An invitation? Open the damn door!" When Squall paused, he continued, sounding outraged. "You aren't going to leave her in there are you?"

"Well maybe…" A brief scuffle ensued resulting with Seifer shoving the passkey into its slot, and the deadbolt clicking back into its metal sheath. Quistis was in front of him with sad eyes, sitting on an overturned bucket. Unsympathetic, he hauled her up by one arm and brushed past Squall with Quistis in tow. Since a long talk with Squall wasn't exactly on Quistis's favorite things to do list at the moment, she went along without protest. 

"Seifer? Where are we going?" Seifer just grumbled something in return and Quistis stared at his back as he hauled her to their destination. It turned out the balcony was again in her near future.

Abruptly Seifer let go of her and pulled back, regarding her confused expression and impatient stance. 

"This may sound cliché, but how could you?" He drawled dryly, the look on his face of a careful mild annoyance.

"Seifer, you may have forgotten, but we aren't married, together, or otherwise involved besides two one night stands and the living arrangement you oh-so-lovingly organized with Cid." He stared at her, more than a little hurt but unwilling to show it. One night stands? Is that all I am? Cheap entertainment? His temper got the best of him, and he snapped at her, throwing back her own words in her face.

"Is this some kind of twisted revenge?" He snarled, "I mean seriously, Puberty Boy?" Quistis glared at him, two could play at that game.

"Aw, this isn't revenge Seifer," she said with a mock sweetness before her voice darkened a few octaves to match her murderous glare. "This is just fun." Smirking triumphantly, she whirled around to leave him standing there, like that night in the club. But Seifer was too quick for her, and before she could blink she found herself slammed up against the nearest wall with an angry Almasy inches from her face. Note to self: Choose words more carefully when faced with stronger, already cranky Seifer.

"Don't tempt me Quistis." She tossed her head defiantly, and stared into his startlingly green eyes, seemingly unafraid. 

"Tempt you to do what?" She inwardly congratulated herself on her tone, dripping with just enough disgust to tick him off further. 

"Shut you up." And with those words his mouth descended on hers in a kiss that voiced all words could not. He was jealous, angry, and yet mixed in there somewhere was a disturbing insecurity. She could tell he was somewhat unsure about himself, convinced she would pick his rival over what he had to offer her. When he pulled back, she sighed her unrest and tried to untangle herself from his arms. He held on tightly and forced her to look at him. 

"I just...I was thinking and he was...there." She tried feebly to defend her actions but knew it was a lousy cover. She sighed. "What I'm trying to say is that I was really confused after...well you know, so I was thinking by myself when he came along. And he just...I just...I guess we threw reason out the window for a while. I didn't plan it, but I can't be sure I would take it back. I just don't know, Seifer. Can you understand that?" Seifer considered that for a moment. 

"Quistis, when I became Ultimecia's knight, I had second thoughts. When I came here to be a SeeD, I had second thoughts. When I took that SeeD exam, gave Squall that scar, I had second thoughts. But I have never had second thoughts about this." He leaned in and kissed her gently. "Can you understand that?" He watched serenely as she blinked a few times. Such emotional expression wasn't exactly characteristic of Seifer, and she regarded him with suspicion. 

"Am I that good a lay?" She asked sarcastically. Immediately Seifer pushed himself away from her and the wall, his face dark and his eyes swirling with anger and hurt. He turned his gaze toward her and when he spoke his former soul baring had dissipated as if shoved under a hidden corner in his mind.

"Fine, Quistis. Have it your way. You know what?" He looked sorrowfully at the ground and shook his head, a growl managing to escape his carefully controlled calm. "Fuck you. _Just. __Fuck. You." With that said, he spun on his heel, his gray coat fanning out behind him as he stormed off the balcony._

_Good, thought Quistis, __good. But even her inner voice was shaking. _

~***~

"Selphie, have you seen Squall?" Quistis glanced briefly over the tiny girl's shoulder, looking for the elusive Commander.

"Sorry, Quisty, I haven't. Guess what though? I know something you don't know!" She bounced on her heels for a moment and looked at Quistis expectantly.

"What, Selphie?"

"Seifer left today! He just walked up to Cid and said he quit!" The older woman's eyes widened.

"What?! Where did he go?" 

"Dunno. Maybe Dollet. Maybe Timber." Quistis brushed past the brunette and made her way purposefully down the hall, calling back to Selphie.

"I have to see Squall. Thanks for the update, Selphie."

Sweeping briskly through the nearly empty hallway, Quistis turned a corner only to collide with the man she'd been looking for. Straightening her uniform, Quistis greeted him.

"Hi Squall. I need to talk to you about yesterday. I, um, have been doing some thinking and I wanted to let you know who I chose." Squall's face became a perfect blank, as though bracing himself for a let down. "After a long time alone, and some…hurt feelings, I decided that you're the one for me, Squall. I've always loved you."

Squall's eyes lit up like a little boy's at Christmas, and he gave Quistis a spine tingling kiss. 

"Seifer's gone." She said when they broke apart, and Squall looked at her in wonder. _Good job, bring up his lifelong rival after kissing… _

"I know. I was there when Cid let him go." He stared at Quistis for a moment, sure she had been replaced by someone he didn't know. She seemed to be distant, even after the earth shattering kiss they had just shared. But he kissed her again and the aura disappeared, as if it had never even been there.

*Next Day*

Squall had been gone from their shared bed when Quistis had awoken that morning. She'd looked high and low for him, but whenever she caught sight of his leather clad form, he vanished down some unseen hallway. At last, weary of her search, she camped out in front of his office. As predicted, after only an hour's wait he rounded a corner, set toward the oak door that lead a man through the portal of paperwork. 

"Hey." Greeted Quistis sheepishly. "I've been looking for you all day."

"Have you?" Said Squall, which would have been very normal were it not for the fact that his voice was colder than she'd ever heard it. "What can I do for you?"

"Wha…what can you…? No. Never mind." Tears filled her twin ocean pools as she wheeled around and fled down the hall. She threw herself on the bed in the room she used to share with Seifer and let herself cry for some time before she dared raise her head. 

_What happened?_

Ack! Crappy chapter! Crappy ending! Noooo! I can see the flames already!!! Hee hee, sorry about that, this is my quickie filler chapter in which something especially important goes on but not enough to be a good chappie. I needed a means to an end and I'm sorry, I promise the ending chapter(s?) will be much MUCH better than what I've offered you today. My apologies ^_^ Plz review and tell me whether you want (dun dun dun) A) Quall, B) Seiftis/Quiefer or C) Both! Whee! aka alternate endings. 


	6. Kiss and Make Up ~ The End.

Aww no one cares about Squall….*pause* Woohoo! *kicks Squall out of the fic*  
  
Disclaimer: Torn belongs to Natalie Imbruglia and whoever signed her. FF8 belongs to Squaresoft.  
  
  
  
1 Last time, on It's the Sunday Morning After…  
  
"Wha…what can you…? No. Never mind." Tears filled her twin ocean pools as she wheeled around and fled down the hall. She threw herself on the bed in the room she used to share with Seifer and let herself cry for some time before she dared raise her head.  
  
   
  
What happened?  
  
  
  
*Chapter 6*  
  
  
  
Quistis woke up the next morning with only a vague memory of what had gone on the day before. She had a brief image of herself looking for Squall for practically the whole day. Suddenly it came back to her what had happened when she had found him. She'd run off crying, spent the entire evening sobbing in her room and ended up regretting choosing Squall over Seifer. How could she have traded a warm hearth for the cold, frozen Alaskan border?  
  
My whole life is a series of mistakes. Time to set that right.  
  
For what seemed like the hundredth time, Quistis threw her things in a duffel bag and slung it over her shoulder. Packing was like second nature to her now, all her life she'd been shoving her things into cramped spaces for transportation. First from the orphanage, then through a barrage of rooms while she moved up in rank, then into Seifer's room… Seifer. The name brought a curious pang of regret and hopefulness all at the same time. Perhaps it wasn't too late. She left her SeeD uniform crumpled on the floor in favor of jeans and a tee shirt.  
  
"Selphie?" She questioned hopefully, cradling the phone's plastic form on her shoulder. "Selph?"  
  
"Yes? This is she! Irvy! I got a phone call!" A great crash and some choice words from the cowboy filled Quistis's reluctant ear as she winced. "Silly Irvy. Hello? Hello? Who's this? Are you having a party?"  
  
"Selphie, it's Quistis."  
  
"Quisty! Are you having a party? I'm ever so good at arranging these sorts of things and…" Quistis was forced to cut off the bubbly girl's tirade to get a few words in edgewise.  
  
"Do you know where Seifer went exactly?" She blurted, then cursed herself for being such a transparent loser.  
  
"Ohhh good choice, Quisty! I always thought Seifer was sort of a hottie myself and…ow! Irvy! What was that for?"  
  
"Selph? Where he went?"  
  
"Oh! Yes! Umm…I think he mumbled something about a hotel in Dollet. The Grand…Spear? Sphere? I dunno. Something like that. I asked and asked where he was going, I even followed him to the cafeteria and I managed to hear. He was grumbling a lot. Hey! I think he mentioned you a couple times, Quisty! He even…what? Irvy, do you really think I'm going to put out after you hurt me? All I said was Seifer's hot…ow! Stop it! You are so not getting any! I…" At this point Selphie dissolved into giggles, and Quistis thought it best to hang up.  
  
A quick pass by Squall's office showed the lights were on, and someone was home.  
  
Unlike the mind behind the door…thought Quistis maliciously. Hmph…doesn't know what he's missing.  
  
She knocked thrice and called loudly through the door.  
  
"Squall! Just letting you know I'm leaving for a while! I'll be back tonight, possibly tomorrow. I've packed a bag in case. So if you needed me for a mission…too bad!" The door opened a crack and a gray steely eye stared at her.  
  
"Note taken." Before the door closed, Quistis could have sworn she saw a hint of mischief in the eyes of the Commander, but quickly shook it off. Whatever game he was playing at, she didn't want to be a part of it.  
  
  
  
I thought I saw a man brought to life  
  
He was warm, he came around like he was dignified  
  
He showed me what it was to cry  
  
  
  
The train to Dollet seemed to take years, the stops in between cursed in muttered breaths. Quistis checked her watch twenty, thirty, forty times. Each time it was about a minute or two later than the last peek at her wrist.  
  
Squall disgusted her now. She had come to realize that he would never be the one for her, she couldn't turn her feelings from hot to cold in an instant. First Rinoa, then her. She should have seen it coming. After all, what kind of boyfriend leaves his angelic girlfriend for seemingly no other reason than to shack up with the local blonde? As if she could expect a real relationship from him. Quistis knew that Seifer would be the one who could provide her with something steady and beautiful. But would he want her?  
  
She disgusted herself now. Playing the fickle queen, then relinquishing her choice for the other not two days after driving the latter away. Great start Quistis. The trust he's going to have in you is astonishing. It seemed she couldn't shake the warm feeling in her heart when she looked at Squall, even when she really needed a break it persisted. But unfortunately for all parties involved, it wasn't love, but a leftover crush and deep affection. Now she wasn't even sure if she felt that much for him.  
  
So all Quistis could do was stare out the window and pray Seifer wouldn't think the only reason she was coming back to him was Squall's coldness. Oh she was stupid, for trading the fire for the ice. Fire could burn you up, but ice could only slowly freeze you until everything wonderful was gone.  
  
  
  
Well you couldn't be that man I adored  
  
You don't seem to know-or seem to care what your heart is for  
  
I don't know him anymore  
  
  
  
A million years seemed to pass before the train finally pulled into the Dollet station. Quistis knew she had some work to do. Selphie's description hadn't been all that helpful. The Grand Sphere? Finding anything grand in Dollet was going to be hard. As she got off the train, hauling her duffel bag on her shoulder, she had a flash of inspiration. Squall! Surely he would know where Seifer had gone. After all he was the Commander, it was his job to know everything.  
  
Ecstatic with her idea, she plunked a handful of change into a pay phone and made the long distance call. Nervousness swept through her all at once. What could she say? Hi Squall, I'm going to try and find your rival because you turned out to be a cold son of a bitch. So basically, you're a mistake. Might you know where Seifer is now?  
  
Quistis let the phone fall into its cradle with a thud just as a formal voice started its opening speech.  
  
  
  
There's nothin' where he used to lie  
  
My conversation has run dry  
  
That's what's goin' on  
  
  
  
With a heavy sigh, she dropped onto a bench and put her head in her hands. Watching the people stream by was both enlightening and depressing. Enlightening because she saw so many ways of dealing with emotions. Heartfelt reunions and cold receptions; hugs and stiff welcomes. Depressing because not one of them was Seifer. Maybe someday soon she'd be able to show affection, even uneasiness with a situation, without immediately going into Ice Bitch mode.  
  
On impulse, she grabbed the coat sleeve of a dark haired man about her age.  
  
"Excuse me, do you know the hotels in Dollet well?" He smiled at her, a friendly lopsided smile so welcome she found herself smiling in return.  
  
"Yes, I'd like to think I know this town quite well."  
  
"Then maybe you could tell me, my friend he's um…staying here in a place called the Grand Sphere, Seer? Something like that. I can't remember the name. Is there somewhere around here with a name starting with 'The Grand'?"  
  
"Two, actually. The Grand Sphinx and The Grand Sachet. Nice places, they are." Quistis nodded.  
  
"Where are they, about?"  
  
"Well the Sphinx is on Matyr Street and thirty-first and the Sachet is near Mena Avenue and twenty-second."  
  
"Thank you." Said Quistis solemnly. "I really need to find him."  
  
"Good luck to you." Grinned the man, "May he see the light." With a last wink, he was gone, leaving Quistis wondering at his meaning.  
  
  
  
Nothing's fine  
  
I'm torn  
  
I'm all out of faith, this is how I feel  
  
I'm cold and I am shamed  
  
Lying naked on the floor  
  
Illusion never changed  
  
Into something real  
  
I'm wide awake and I can see the perfect sky is torn  
  
You're a little late  
  
I'm already torn  
  
  
  
Duffel in hand, she began the long walk to the Sphinx. It was the closest of the two hotels, both of which were quite a distance across town. She cursed herself for not bringing much money for a taxi, Squall usually took care of any monetary needs on missions.  
  
But she was on a personal mission this time, and she cursed herself for depending on another to coordinate the simplest points of her life.  
  
As she was leaving the station, an older woman approached her.  
  
"Drop this, dear?" In her hand she held the SeeD train pass Quistis had used for the trip.  
  
"Oh," she gasped. "Oh, thank you! I don't know what I would have done without it!"  
  
"You would have stayed here with the blonde man, dear. But I'm glad you have it all the same. Now you can both go back."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"The blonde man. Surely you know who you're looking for, dear." The woman said, eyes sparkling with suppressed amusement. Suddenly she frowned. "See what is there child, don't see what you want to see. You saw an enemy when there was love, and a love where there was none. See truth. Live it. Believe it."  
  
"I…I will. Thank you." She looked at the woman oddly before turning away to leave.  
  
"You're quite welcome, dear." Quistis turned to face her again.  
  
"How did you…?" But she was gone.  
  
So I guess the fortune teller's right  
  
I should have seen just what was there and not some Holy light  
  
But you crawled beneath my veins and now I don't care, I have no luck  
  
I don't miss it all that much  
  
There's just so many things  
  
  
  
It took Quistis exactly an hour and twenty-seven minutes to reach the Sphinx. When she walked through the swinging double doors, she had less energy than a dead elephant. The walk had been all uphill, a steady, backbreaking incline. She leaned heavily on the counter as she summoned the receptionist.  
  
"Hello! Welcome to the Sphinx! What can I do for you?" Her voice was irritatingly cheery, despite the once over she as giving the tired Quistis.  
  
"I'm looking for a friend."  
  
"Sorry, we don't allow visits for unregistered guests. I encourage not to haunt the hotel, stalkers are also unwelcome."  
  
"No! I…no, you don't understand. I have urgent news for him and if I don't find him…" Quistis let her sentence trail off in the hopes it would sound life threatening. "But first I need to know if he's even staying here." The woman sighed as though she was really wasting her time and produced a log book of guests.  
  
"Name?"  
  
"Seifer. Seifer Almasy." She watched as the woman scrolled her eyes down the page.  
  
"Yes. There is a Seifer Almasy here. Room 326. But you can't…" But Quistis was already gone, the elevator door closing behind her.  
  
  
  
That I can't touch  
  
I'm torn  
  
I'm all out of faith  
  
This is how I feel  
  
I'm cold and I am shamed  
  
Lying naked on the floor  
  
Illusion never changed  
  
Into something real  
  
I'm wide awake and I can see  
  
The perfect sky is torn  
  
You're a little late  
  
I'm already torn  
  
Torn  
  
  
  
The first and second floors passed by excruciatingly slowly, stopping for absurd lengths of time to let on one person. Almost before the doors opened on the third floor, Quistis launched herself into the pristine red and gold hallway. She walked briskly down its carpeted length, stopping for a moment every once and awhile to read the gold letters on the doors. Three fifteen…three twenty…three twenty-five…three twenty-six.  
  
Nervously smoothing her hair away from her eyes, she stared at the smooth white plane of wood in front of her. Seifer was behind that door. And it was ajar, just a little, enough to disengage the lock. With a shaking hand she pushed it open and took two steps into the room.  
  
"Seif…" The name died on her lips as she surveyed the room. The bed, neatly made. The dresser, one drawer open, but empty.  
  
No one.  
  
A choked sob escaped her as she blinked back tears.  
  
  
  
There's nothing where he used to lie  
  
My inspiration has run dry  
  
That's what's goin' on  
  
  
  
She swiped a dirty hand under her eye and stared without seeing at the perfectly made bed.  
  
"Hasn't it already been established that I'm not there?" With a gasp Quistis turned on her heel and gazed in amazement at the six foot blonde man in front of her.  
  
"You just about gave me a heart attack!" She said, then cursed herself for her stupid remark. "I mean, er, hi?"  
  
Seifer hid his amusement under a serious scowl before he fixed Quistis with a fierce glare.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"Looking for you?"  
  
"What are you asking me for, I don't know. Are you or aren't you?"  
  
"I am! I mean, I was, but now I found you and so I don't have to look anymore." She could have cursed herself for not preparing a speech earlier, when she'd had the chance to organize her thoughts. She couldn't think with him so close… And then he took a step closer.  
  
"Quistis, I don't know what to say to you. I wish I could stop being in love with you long enough to call security, because honestly I don't feel like talking to you right now." Quistis looked at her feet.  
  
"I understand."  
  
"No, no you don't. What if I never feel like talking to you? Where's Squall, eh? Cast him aside too now?"  
  
"No! No, nothing like that."  
  
"You're lying. I'm just a temp again until you can find someone better."  
  
"I wouldn't do that to you."  
  
"You already did." She winced visibly and returned her eyes from his to the ground.  
  
"I made a mistake."  
  
"So things didn't work out with Puberty Boy and you just come running back. Great, I…"  
  
"Seifer, I've been alone all my goddamn life. I'm okay with being alone. I can handle it. I'm not so desperate for a boyfriend that I would come running to the second choice when the first wasn't so great." Her voice was dead and empty, and Seifer's face fell just a little. This wasn't in his plan.  
  
"But then…" Quistis cut him off, her voice shaking.  
  
"I came running to who should have been first from the start. I came running to the right one. The only one who makes me feel on top of the world." A lone tear rolled down one cheek as Seifer pulled her into his arms.  
  
"Now didn't I tell you we belonged together?"  
  
"No, you didn't."  
  
"Oh. Well I should have, it might have saved us all a lot of time."  
  
  
  
Nothing's right I'm torn  
  
I'm all out of faith  
  
This is how I feel  
  
I'm cold and I am shamed  
  
Lying naked on the floor  
  
Illusion never changed  
  
Into something real  
  
I'm wide awake and I can see  
  
The perfect sky is torn  
  
I'm all out of faith  
  
This is how I feel  
  
I'm cold and I'm ashamed  
  
Bound and broken on the floor  
  
You're a little late I'm already torn  
  
Torn  
  
Oh,  
  
  
  
Quistis chuckled lightly and buried her head in Seifer's shoulder. "I forgot how good this felt."  
  
"So much the worse for me."  
  
"Seifer?"  
  
"Mmm?"  
  
"Is this going to last forever?"  
  
"Bit forward, aren't we?"  
  
"Just answer."  
  
"Give me a white horse and a sword and I'll consider it."  
  
"How about a gunblade and a train?"  
  
"Close enough." And he kissed her.  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
Squall couldn't wait until Quistis got back. This had to be the greatest piece of acting he'd ever done. He had managed to act so cold he wasn't sure if Quistis even thought they were friends anymore. She was going to be so surprised!  
  
Like a little boy at Christmas he fingered the engagement ring in his palm.  
  
~*~  
  
[guitar solo out]  
  
Oh…  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: Aren't I terrible? Poor Squall…what's going to happen when they get back? Wait, I'm not supposed to write thought provoking questions on the last chapter! *zips lip* I know it's the last one, but please review anyway, before I feel unloved 


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